The clients who pay the least are somehow the ones who demand the most. I’ve spent hours justifying time entries on cases that barely cover costs, while the big clients barely blink at invoices. It’s demoralizing to pour energy into work that isn’t even profitable. The economics of this job feel upside down. Our worst stress often comes from the smallest paychecks. Do you ever feel like the business model just doesn’t make sense?

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When I was in private practice I’d require a sizeable retainer for any clients I thought might be difficult. It’d be higher if I just wanted them to go elsewhere. Also wasn’t afraid to say “I am sorry but I won’t be able to help you with your matter.” I was never desperate and I did specialized work with a relatively high rate so it was easy to turn down problematic clients. Don’t be desperate, you don’t have to work with problematic clients who won’t pay what they owe.

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In every profession, 90% of the problems come from 10% of the population. Law is no different.

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They're also the ones that think the retainer is the whole fee. Like it was a quote.

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I think it’s really about perceived value. If the client doesn’t understand the value, then theyre going to start questioning everything. They have to actually have money too.

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Thats a really good question that I wish I had the answer to

Clients also need to understand that your time is not free. Recently, I had to explain to a couple of clients that generally, all case related emails, faxes, phone calls, formal letters, text messages, legal research, court filings and appearances - are all my time!

When I give a potential client my retainer to read, I tell them to spend a couple of days reviewing it before signing it. Some clients are so anxious to get an attorney, they probably skim pages and sign off not understanding that they are paying for time spent on their case.

They are also the clients that ask for a “quick favor” aka review this contract for me and provide commentary for free lmao

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